Which genetic alteration involves inserting DNA from other sources into an organism's genome?

Transgenic modification refers to the process of introducing DNA from one organism into the genome of another organism, resulting in a transgenic organism. This technique allows scientists to confer new traits or enhance certain biological functions by incorporating genes that can express desired proteins or characteristics. For instance, in agriculture, transgenic plants might be engineered to produce pest resistance or improved nutritional content by inserting specific genes.

This genetic alteration is essential for research, as it enables the study of gene function, the pathways of diseases, and the development of new therapies. Conversely, knockout mutations involve the disabling of specific genes to study their effects, gene expression regulation refers to controlling the timing and amount of gene expression without necessarily inserting foreign DNA, and genomic editing, such as CRISPR-Cas9, targets specific DNA sequences for modification but may not always involve inserting new DNA. Thus, transgenic modification specifically highlights the integration of external genetic material into an organism’s genome.